


Yet Fear I To Fall

by Mara



Category: GARO: Makai Senki
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-29 13:25:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19401214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mara/pseuds/Mara
Summary: After everything that had happened, Leo was sure that nothing would surprise or shock him again. Which just went to prove that the universe had a remarkably sick sense of humor.





	Yet Fear I To Fall

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a prompt from https://whumpishprompts.tumblr.com/. It takes place at some point after the end of Makai Senki and starts with one big spoiler.

Leo _hated_ being condescended to. He hated being told he was too young or too inexperienced or what-have-you. (See: Why he and Priest Lates had never gotten along in the slightest.) 

After…everything with his brother, Leo was sure that nothing would surprise or shock him again. Which just went to prove that the universe had a remarkably sick sense of humor.

Struggling in the grip of some invisible web of power, Leo wanted to scream, but knew it was a waste of energy. A few meters to his right, he could see Rei caught in the same way. In front of them was a new friend, a Makai Priest in training Leo had been working with. Or what was left of him. Leo and Rei had been forced to watch as the Horror took its time and enjoyed its meal. It was…

Leo strained, twisted, tried to use his magic or even reach his sword, but to no avail. He almost hoped the Horror ate him next so he didn't have to see Rei's death. The sounds were almost worse than the sights but Leo found his gorge rising at a particularly messy bit of crunching. Finally he couldn't help it and he screamed. Eyes closed, he vented his fury and frustration in the only way he could.

"Leo!" Rei yelled.

Hanging limp in the web that held him, Leo didn't respond.

"Don't give up!"

Incredulous, Leo just kept staring as the last bits of his trainee, his responsibility, were eaten.

Rei grunted and Leo looked over just in time to see Rei manage a tiny shift of his hand. But it was enough. Enough to bring the pommel of the sword hanging beside him into reach. The moment Rei was touching that sword, it seemed to leap to him, slashing through the web of energy. Only a lifetime of training enabled Leo to see the sequence of actions as Rei freed himself, transforming as he fell toward the ground and destroying the Horror before it even realized its danger.

Leo barely bothered to break his own fall as the web disappeared, landing in an undignified crouch and staying there, staring at the ground.

* * *

Leo was grateful to Kaoru and Kouga for taking him in afterward. In theory, he should have gone to Kantai or back to his chambers near the council chambers and gone back to work. (There were probably some old farts standing around the council and complaining that he wasn't there to solve their problems for them.) But he couldn't face everyone having failed like this.

He couldn't face the people who still blamed him for his brother, or the ones who would castigate him for not protecting his trainee. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened.

So as others appeared to mop up the mess, Leo's feet turned him without conscious thought in the one direction he felt safe. 

As Gonza welcomed him through the door, expression concerned, Leo felt a pang of concern that Kouga would judge him for being like this, for needing help. But the Golden Knight surprised Leo by placidly continuing with his routine while Kaoru and Gonza fussed over Leo and made him nourishing meals that he picked at. 

Eventually, Kouga brought him an interesting technical problem to fiddle with and it took Leo half a day to realize that Kouga didn't actually need the problem solved. (Of course, Leo _did_ solve it a day later, but he knew Kouga was just trying to help by keeping him busy, which was…strangely nice.)

* * *

The nightmares were bad but Leo was no stranger to nightmares. The daytime flashbacks weren't precisely new either. 

Kaoru found him standing by a window in the parlor, staring out at the lawn without really seeing it. Fists clenched, Leo was trying to calm his raging heartbeat and he barely managed to not lash out when Kaoru came closer.

She'd been with Kouga long enough that her eyes flickered to his fists but she didn't otherwise react. She stood with him for a few minutes, an oasis of calm, just looking out the window with him. When his breathing had become less harsh and his heartbeat back to normal, she gently tugged at his sleeve. "Sit with me?"

Leo just nodded and she drew him down to join her on a settee. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

It took him some time to formulate his response, but she waited patiently. "Why…why is this time so much worse?" Leo stared at the lush rug under their feet as he quietly asked Kaoru the question that had been bothering him. "It's far from the first death I've seen." 

He could hear Kaoru sigh and he looked up. She gave him a tiny smile. "I'm not sure there's a precise answer to that. But I think…" She paused.

"Yes?"

She seemed to be choosing her words very carefully. "I think maybe it builds up inside you. Maybe the thing that tips you over the edge isn't the worst thing you've experienced but rather you've reached the limit."

He considered that. "As if you're full and the last drop of water is what causes you to overflow."

"Exactly." She watched him as he thought about it. "It's okay to need time to recover. It doesn't make you weak."

"I don't—"

"Maybe not consciously." She leaned forward, meeting his eyes. "But if you think I don't know the signs of a Makai Knight or Priest who's doubting themselves…"

Leo couldn't help a small chuckle at that. "I bow to your expertise." He ducked his head. "Thank you for, well, for everything."

She nodded firmly, smiling back. "Leo, I'm glad you came to us. That you trusted us."

Ducking his head, he flushed but he was smiling as well.

* * *

Gonza made him more tea and his favorite biscuits and didn't ask him any questions, which was surprisingly helpful. Then again, Leo thought, Gonza probably had more experience than the rest of them combined in dealing with traumatized Makai Knights.

The one person he didn't see was Rei. Leo had expected him to drop by the mansion, as he often did, but there was no sign of him even after more than a week. At which point Leo realized that if he wanted to talk to Rei, he was going to have to track him down.

"Eruba?" he asked, looking down at his finger. "Do you know where I can find Rei?"

"Rei?" Her voice was sharp.

"Suzumura Rei. Zero."

"Bah, child, I know who you're talking about, I was just surprised." She paused long enough that Leo was certain she was going to say no. "Yes, I know where he is. I'll let Silva know we're coming."

"Thank you." Leo closed his other hand into a fist. He wanted…no, he needed to talk to Rei.

* * *

In the end, Rei wasn't that far away and Leo found him in an empty warehouse, lounging on a couch of indeterminate color tucked in a corner behind bare shelves. 

Rei grinned, opening a small fridge and tossing him a can of something cold, which Leo caught automatically. "Welcome to my humble abode," Rei said, waving a hand to encompass the small living area. "Have a seat."

Leo tried not to look too fussy as he gingerly sat down on the couch beside Rei but from the smirk Rei was giving him, he apparently wasn't succeeding. With a sigh, he opened the can Rei had given him and drank the mango juice. Since Rei appeared to be drinking coffee, it was probably a jab at his youth or maturity, but it wasn't anywhere up to Rei's normal standards of teasing his friends, so Leo ignored it.

"So what's up?" Rei gestured with his can at Leo's presence. "Eruba didn't say."

"Because I don't _know_ ," she said tartly.

"No offense," Rei said, bowing at the waist toward her.

"Hmmph."

"I wanted to ask…" Leo realized he hadn't actually verbalized what he wanted to ask. It was an amorphous need to understand…something about what had happened.

Raising an eyebrow, Rei looked at him. "You'll need to give me more than that."

"I'm sorry. I…don't know how to put this." Leo felt his cheeks warm and he looked down at the can clutched in his hands. Rei's hand came into view, gently removing the empty can. "I'm still upset. I don't know how to…how to get past what happened. What that Horror did and we had to see."

There was a strange crunching sound and Leo's head shot up. Rei had crushed both cans in his grip. Leaping up from the couch, Rei went to toss both of them into a bin. "I don't know how I can help," he said without turning around.

"Oh." Leo bit his lip. "I just wondered how you were able to still think clearly. And how you were so calm. After, I mean. I just keep seeing his blood and—"

"What do you want me to say?" Rei whirled, face contorted in anger.

Leo blinked at him, shocked.

"D'you think I don't care? That I'm not seeing the same flashbacks you are? Did Kouga send you to rub it in that I was too late again?"

"What?" Leo stood, a hand out in supplication. "I don't know what…that's not…I don't know what you're talking about."

Rei stared at him. "I can't believe none of the gossips in the council told you my story. They resisted the urge to gloat about how I lost my father and fiancée in a night? Right."

Leo shook his head several times. "No, I don't listen to gossip. I swear. I've never heard anyone talk about you, except Kouga. He admires you."

Rei took a half step back. "What?"

"Kouga considers you almost the only knight worthy to fight at his side. Even I'm still on probation." Leo looked at Rei, who seemed to be shaking. Stepping forward, Leo automatically grabbed Rei's shoulders. He didn't know exactly what he was going to do, but he had to do something. "Rei?" he whispered.

The shaking got worse and in moments, Rei's legs seemed to give out and Leo held on, easing him down until they were both on the ground. The floor was hard cement but Leo knelt in front of Rei, holding tight to Rei's shoulders to try to steady him. Rei's head was bent forward, his hair sliding down to cover his expression. 

"Rei?" Leo tried again. 

Rei mumbled something.

"I didn't hear you."

Rei's head shot up. "Go. Away," he said through gritted teeth.

"No," Leo said automatically.

Rei stared at him. "Go."

"No," Leo said, intentionally this time. "I'm not leaving you alone like this, so stop saying that."

Rei twisted, trying to get away, but he was shaking too hard. For the first time, Silva spoke up. "Zero, stop!"

"Stay out of this."

"No." Silva was glaring as much as a Madou tool could manage. "You need help."

"I don't. I _don't_."

Leo looked at the second strongest knight he knew and understood something of what Kouga must have felt when Leo turned up at their door. "Be quiet," he said fondly, and working on instinct, he pulled Rei forward into an awkward hug. 

Rei resisted for a moment and Leo worried he'd made the wrong move. Then bit by bit, Rei melted against him, resting his cheek on Leo's shoulder and flinging his arms around Leo's body.

Leo held on to Rei on that cold floor, letting the strength he had gained in his time with Kaoru and Kouga and Gonza pass to Rei. He held tight, letting Rei know that he wasn't going anywhere.

Clearly there was a lot of history behind Rei's reaction. Maybe when he felt better he would want to talk to Leo about it. Or maybe not. Maybe Leo would find a task for Rei to do or maybe he would just make him some tea and sit with him.

Closing his eyes, Leo rested his cheek against the top of Rei's head. Whatever the answer was, they would figure things out together. They would heal together.

\--end--

**Author's Note:**

> Original prompt:
> 
> Person A and Person B both witness something traumatic and disturbing play out before them, like another person being killed/tortured. Person A is visibly horrified while B takes it in stride and quickly tries to handle the problem in some way. Later on after things have calmed down, though, Person A seeks out Person B for comfort. As they start to bring up those past events, Person B suddenly sinks down and A realizes that B was more shaken than they let on. It could have possibly been one of their triggers, too. Person A helps to console a very pale and shaky Person B as they try to keep it together.


End file.
